Title: Customer oriented service culture and its impact on customer loyalty in organised retail context

Authors: Tejas R. Shah; Amit Jain

Addresses: Kalol Institute of Management, Kalol, Gujarat, 382721, India ' JK Lakshmipat University, Laliya Ka Vas, P.O. Mahapura, Ajmer Road, Jaipur, 302026, Rajasthan, India

Abstract: Customer service plays an important role in customers' purchase decisions. Culture is the vital ingredient in the service delivery process. The service dominant logic of retail organisations has led to emphasis on development of service culture and its outcomes. The objective of this paper is to find the characteristics of retail service culture. This research also tends to study the relationships between antecedents of development of retail service culture and impact of service culture on its outcome variables. The final sample size includes 202 employees of an organised retail organisation. The results of a factor analysis revealed five dimensions of retail service culture, namely, reliability, responsiveness, support, attitude towards customers and competitive framework. Top management commitment, cultural socialisation and participative/supportive leadership were found to create a significant positive impact on building a customer oriented service culture. A customer oriented service culture was found to create a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty.

Keywords: service culture; retail organisations; marketing; leadership style; customer satisfaction; trust; customer loyalty; retailing; purchase decisions; service delivery; retail services.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2015.070247

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2015 Vol.11 No.1, pp.23 - 42

Received: 14 Nov 2013
Accepted: 14 Mar 2014

Published online: 01 Jul 2015 *

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